title: Congenital short-bowel syndrome: prenatal sonographic findings of a fatal anomaly.
abstract: The sonographic findings in a fatal case of congenital short-bowel syndrome are reported. Sonography at 11 weeks of gestation showed a 11 x 6 mm hyperechoic mass interpreted to be a midgut umbilical hernia. A repeat scan 2 weeks later showed an intact anterior abdominal wall, no umbilical herniation, and appropriate fetal growth. Forty-eight hours after full-term, vaginal delivery, the infant began vomiting bile and passing blood rectally. Imaging studies showed distended bowel loops without air-fluid levels and incomplete bowel obstruction. Laparotomy showed malrotation and short small bowel without volvulus. The infant died at 9 weeks of age. When delayed return of the midgut to the abdominal cavity is noted on prenatal sonograms, follow-up sonograms should be done throughout the second trimester, especially in patients with a family history of short-bowel syndrome, to search for dilated short bowel loops. If such loops are found, patients should be given options for pregnancy termination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sapir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aviram
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Erez
authors.forename: T Z
authors.initials: TZ
authors.lastname: Dolfin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Beyth
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tepper
mesh_terms: D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D012778:Short Bowel Syndrome / Q000151:congenital* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal